Depression affects 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men all across the world, making it one of the most challenging disorders. Across the globe, at least 3.8% of people face depression, out of which 5.7% of adults are over the age of 60. Recent innovations in mental health when it comes to medicine and therapy have grown significantly, however, awareness is still lacking in most parts of underdeveloped nations.
Depression is becoming very frequent and is consistently rising for the population falling under the age group from the early twenties to the forties and early fifties. It is alarmingly affecting even teenagers considering stressful lifestyles deteriorating living standards and climate changes. With that, medical science is also making impactful strides to improve the mental health of the masses.
Lately, along with medications like antidepressants like SSRIs (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), talk therapy is also being used to tackle disorders like anxiety and depression. While it is no longer taboo to take medications for mental disorders, taking therapy is still getting adapted socially at a slower pace. Additionally, finding a depression therapist that is suitable for you and fits into your schedule and budget is also a bit of a journey.
Medications like SSRIs have a lower set of side effects compared to previously used medicines. Meanwhile, CBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression has no side effects and can treat the disorder addressing the root cause. Depression counseling in the Mississauga region has developed greatly over the last decade.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
In this therapy method, the therapist identifies the specific negative thought patterns and responses of the patients. The psychotherapist helps the patient work on those patterns to disrupt the negative thought patterns and replace them with more helpful ones.
For a patient suffering from either depression or anxiety disorder, it is nearly impossible to think positively about any given situation. An anxiety patient may have 10 different scenarios in her mind for the same given situation, and at least 7 might have a negative ending. A patient with depression is likely to have a similar temperament. This negative manner of thinking is called cognitive distortions. Commonly noticed cognitive distortions are
- Catastrophizing – Expecting the worst possible outcome in any situation, no matter how unlikely.
- Emotional Reasoning – Believing something must be true simply because it feels true; despite the logic being different
- All-or-nothing thinking: viewing the world in a binary sense, black-and-white terms
With cognitive therapy, the psychotherapist gauges the patient’s thought pattern after having thorough conversations about the patient’s past and present life experiences, emotions, and sometimes opinions. The therapist helps the patient to alter the negative patterns of thinking.
How Does CBT help the Depression patients?
Along with proper medication prescribed by a psychiatrist, CBT therapy can help the patient run his or her life while not letting depression dictating their life or decisions.
Very often, people suffering from depression do fall prey to anxiety. Depression and anxiety are comorbid. In both cases, patients tend to go through very difficult phases of mental fatigue, severe disinterest in life events, and some level of panic. However, everyone’s experience with mental disorders can differ. With CBT, patients learn to cope with challenging situations, as well as emotional distress.
Depression often distorts the way people think, trapping them in negative thought patterns that feel automatic and absolute. Empathy is the only way to deal with such patients who are struggling with any mental disorder. CBT can help patients experience the life and world with more clarity and confidence.
Cognitive Behavioral therapy encourages patients to take small actions one at a time. The therapists enable the patients to find motivation in life and create positive change over time while making lifestyle changes too. Usually, CBT takes a limited number of sessions, at least, in case of low or medium levels of depression. Reach out CoHM CBT therapist near you in Mississauga, and also support online throughout Ontario.
(Photo) Umair Ausaf, MA (Counselling Psychology)
